The labourers had to live in very unhygienic environment, paid little, fed too less and the magnitude of human exploitation was beyond imaginations.The Assam Company brought 2,272 labourers between December 1859 and November 1861 out of which 250 died on transit. Between April 1861 and February 1862 the company recruited 2,569 labourers of which 135 died on the way and 103 absconded. Between May 1863 and May 1866 a total of 84,915 32 labourers were arrived in Assam out of which 30,000 had died by June 1866. This was the most unfortunate and sad story of death and misery in the colonial history of Assam. The average mortality rate was 10% to 15% and sometimes rose to 50%.The import of labour was still continued till the second decade of the twenteeth century.
Annual Immigration of Labour (including children) into Assam Plantations during
1902-03 to 1918-19
Year |
Number |
Year |
Number |
1902-03 |
26,684 |
1919-20 |
1.02,089 |
1903-04 |
22,162 |
1920-21 |
25,472 |
1904-05 |
24,209 |
1924-25 |
33,727 |
1905-06 |
31,830 |
1925-26 |
33,009 |
1906-07 |
25,617 |
1926-27 |
45,694 |
1907-08 |
84,824 |
1927-28 |
42,845 |
1908-09 |
60,773 |
1928-29 |
68,900 |
1909-10 |
39,332 |
1929-30 |
59,796 |
1910-11 |
43,657 |
1930-31 |
53,519 |
1911-12 |
58,646 |
1931-32 |
50,997 |
1912-13 |
58,873 |
1932-33 |
39,901 |
1913-14 |
58,646 |
1933-34 |
47,960 |
1914-15 |
63,638 |
1934-35 |
19,968 |
1915-16 |
1,10,376 |
1935-36 |
23,876 |
1916-17 |
48,130 |
1936-37 |
27,842 |
1917-18 |
19,407 |
1937-38 |
32, 335 |
1918-19 |
2,22,171 |